DIY toys like these homemade magic wands are fun for kids of all ages! (First published February 23, 2017; this post is updated and republished to improve the content.)
Here’s a no-sew star wand craft tutorial that will teach you how to make a simple DIY fairy princess, or magic wand toy, with rainbow ribbon streamers to put in your bag of tricks. Magic fairy wands, wizard wands, or princess star wands, are great birthday party favors, decorations, costume props, and dress-up toys for dramatic open-ended pretend play! Or make Red, White, and Blue Ribbon Patriotic Star Wands.
Magic rainbow wands also make a great costume prop for several types of Halloween costumes, especially if your children like to dress up daily to pretend that they are fairies, princesses, queens, kings, witches, wizards, and magicians as much as my daughter does. My little girl loves fairies and enjoys playing with her fairy garden, and her fairy winter wonderland, and of course, she LOVES to pretend that she IS a fairy–and magic rainbow star wands make that possible. Just look at the fun she has playing with her fairy wand toys in the pictures below.
Related: DIY Rainbow Peg Dolls
How to Make a Rainbow Ribbon Magic Fairy Wand for Kids
How do you make a homemade wand and what do you need to make one? My daughter and I used a pointy star cookie cutter, ribbons in a rainbow of colors, wooden dowel rods, and stiff white glimmer felt to make the magic rainbow star wands shown in the photographs for this post. They turned out so well we decided to make more rainbow fairy wands to give away as favors for my daughter’s magical fairy princess birthday party, and they were a HUGE hit! Just look at how fun they are to play in the photographs below. You might also enjoy making red, white, and blue star wands!
Related: Rainbow Art Projects (and Rainbow Crafts, Too!)
Homemade Rainbow Star Wand Materials
- Stiff white glimmer felt or stiff white felt
- Star cookie cutter
- Fabric marker (disappearing ink) or fabric marking chalk
Scissors- Rainbow ribbon
- Wooden dowels (1/4 X 12 inches)
- Gold or silver non-stretch metallic tinsel cord (optional but recommended)
- Low-temp glue gun with glue sticks
Magic Fairy Princess Wand Step-by-Step Directions
Read through the step-by-step instructions before starting your homemade wand so you know the steps involved, and know what to expect, so you can use your creativity to customize your wand to look the way you’d like it to.
Related: DIY Rainbow Building Blocks DIY Toy for Kids
You will need the following craft supplies to make each DIY magic wand:
- Two felt stars.
- Ribbons in a rainbow of colors, or any colors you choose!
- One wooden dowel rod.
- Hot glue.
- Gold or silver tinsel cord (optional).
Follow the simple step-by-step instructions below to make fairy wands and magic wands for children in a rainbow of colors. A photo tutorial is posted below the written directions to make it easy to see each step in action.
1. Cut two felt stars for each magic fairy wand craft.
- Cut two stars out of stiff white felt, or stiff white glimmer felt to add a bit of sparkle, for each magic wand you make.
- To do so; Draw a star, or trace a pointy star-shaped cookie cutter with fabric chalk or a fabric marker with disappearing ink onto the back of the white felt.
- The ink in a fabric marking pen will disappear in about 12-24 hours, while chalk often needs to be removed with a small amount of water. You can also use water to remove disappearing ink made by fabric marking pens. And yes, we have tested them to work on white felt without leaving a trace!
2. Cut ribbon for each star wand craft.
- Use scissors to cut six 12 – 14-inch sections of ribbon in a rainbow of colors for each fairy wand.
- We used red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple found in THIS pack of ribbons in a rainbow of colors, but you are welcome to use any colors in any combination you like.
- Other ideas include cut ribbons that match the colors of your school, birthday party theme, favorite sports team, country (like these red, white, and blue, ribbon wands), etc.
3. Glue the strips of ribbon to one of the two felt stars for Each Magic Fairy Wand Craft.
- Lay the stars down next to each other with the top of each star pointed up.
- If using a glimmer felt, ensure the glitter side of the felt is facing down, and the non-glimmer side is facing up.
- Next, use a low-temperature glue gun to attach the ribbons to the bottom edge of one of the felt stars in each pair, as shown in the photographs below.
4. Use glue to attach the wooden dowel to one of the felt stars for each fairy wand craft.
- Use the wooden dowel rods as wand handles.
- Place the wooden dowel rods onto one of the stars for each pair, and ensure that the top of the star is pointed up.
- We put the wooden dowel on top of the rainbow ribbons as shown in the photographs below, and glued it in place to make a handle for each magic wand craft.
- In other words, glue the wooden dowel inside one of the felt stars in each pair.
5. Glue the felt stars together with the wooden dowel and ribbons inside to complete each magic wand craft.
- Glue the felt stars together with the wooden dowel and ribbons inside so the star sits at the top of the wand.
- In other words, glue the two halves of the felt star ensuring that the wooden dowel and ribbons are inside the completed star to create each rainbow ribbon magic fairy wand.
- Once again, if you are using glimmer felt, ensure the glimmer side is facing out before gluing the two halves of the star together.
- Look at the photo tutorials below to see these steps to make the fairy wand craft in action.
Related: Best Shamrock and Clover Arts and Crafts
6. Attach the tinsel cord to the outside edge of each rainbow ribbon star wand (optional but recommended).
- Use a hot glue gun to attach the non-stretch gold or silver tinsel cord to the outside edge of the star on each magic fairy wand.
- Because you will be touching the glue and getting it all over your fingers, it is necessary to use a low-temperature glue gun. Or a glue gun with a low-temperature setting so you don’t get burned while making your rainbow fairy wands. (High-temperature glue guns can cause a serious burn if you touch the glue. And even low-temperature guns can be hot and dangerous to the touch. So please use caution, teach children how to use a glue gun safely before offering this craft activity, and supervise kids as they work.)
- Start on the star’s backside and work it around to the front.
- Next, glue a small section of cord to the part of the star wand without a gold tinsel cord on the back, as shown in the photograph below.
Related: Ultimate Family Gift Guide
Rainbow Ribbon Magic Wand DIY Toy for Kids
DIY rainbow ribbon magic fairy wands are fun for kids to dress up props for pretend or imaginative play. They also make a great birthday party favor or costume prop.
Be sure to check out our Patriotic Star Wands for more photos and wand-making tips!
You may also like this collection of rainbow suncatchers to brighten your windows and this fun collection of easy rainbow art projects kids love!
Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE!
Hi there, I love these wands and would like to make them for my daughter’s party in a month. A question: were there boys invited to your daughter’s party, and if so, did they like the wands too? Or did you have something else for them in place of the wands? Cecilia
Hi Cecilia! Both girls and boys love rainbow star wands. We also have a red, white and blue star wand tutorial that you can also make to have another option available, or, use ribbons in any color combination you like.
I enjoyed this post and the one on sensory water bottles. I have a great granddaughter who has anxiety isseus and we are trying to come uo with things for her to use. Now we need to find small things that she can take to school. Thank you for some great ideas.
Hi Sandy, I’m so glad you enjoyed this DIY wand-making post and our sensory bottle post. Regarding taking things to school, we have a pocket pet mouse that you can make with your daughter, and there are many wonderful fidget toys available today. But please ensure it’s okay with her teacher to bring them to class. Usually, teachers are accepting of this practice when the child has sensory or anxiety issues.
Nell